SteamOS on First Third-Party Handheld as Microsoft Looks to Improve Windows Handheld Gaming
– 2 min read
The first third-party handheld running SteamOS has been unveiled at CES 2025. More are expected to follow. Microsoft has also confirmed that it is working to improve the Windows handheld gaming experience.
Lenovo unveiled the Legion Go S at CES 2025. The gaming handheld will be available in two versions, one with Windows 11 and the other with SteamOS from April. It is the first officially licensed third-party handheld to run Valve Software's SteamOS - the same operating system that is used on the Steam Deck. Valve is working to bring SteamOS support to more devices in the future.
"We built this operating system to provide a seamless user experience optimized for gaming, while retaining access to the power and flexibility of a PC. (...) In addition, the same work that we are doing to support the Lenovo Legion Go S will improve compatibility with other handhelds," Valve Software said. SteamOS is optimised for gaming and provides a console-like experience designed to be used with a controller. It puts gamers directly into Steam, with access to the full Steam ecosystem (library, cloud, chat, recording and more). SteamOS is Linux-based, but the majority of the Steam library runs on the handheld thanks to the Proton compatibility layer that Valve Software ships.
Furthermore, at a CES panel hosted by AMD and Lenovo entitled 'The Future of Gaming Handhelds', Microsoft announced that the Windows handheld gaming experience will be changing within this calendar year. Jason Ronald, Microsoft's VP of 'Next Generation', confirmed to The Verge that Microsoft wanted to combine the Xbox and Windows experience, but explained that they wanted to put the Xbox experience at the centre, rather than the actual Windows desktop.
Jason Ronald said via The Verge: "We've been really innovating for a long time in the console space, and as we partner across the industry it's really about how do we bring those innovations that we've incubated and developed in the console space and bring them to PC and bring them to the handheld gaming space. (...) I would say it's bringing the best of Xbox and Windows together, because we have spent the last 20 years building a world-class operating system, but it's really locked to the console. What we're doing is we're really focused on how do we bring those experiences for both players and developers to the broader Windows ecosystem."
The aim is to change the interaction and user experience from classic Windows to something more game-centric - although the Xbox OS is, of course, based on Windows. In the past, there have also been rumours and hints that Microsoft is also planning an Xbox handheld. However, this has not been officially confirmed.
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